I contacted Drain King Plumbers for help with a clogged pipe. I explained the issue, and their plumber, Jonathan, charged me $325 for a camera inspection. Following his thorough evaluation, Jonathan shared his expert opinion saying we had a separated pipe, and presented us with a repair estimate of approximately $3,600. To sweeten the deal he then did some creative accounting and deducted the (camera) inspection fee from the quote, calling it a discount, even though it was obviously just rolled into the overall cost. Despite the clever pricing tactics, we decided to move forward based on his explanation of what was causing the issue and the proposed solution, because to me, a separated pipe seems serious and requires immediate attention.
The following day, another technician who spoke very little English arrived to begin the work, and in hindsight, I should have asked to verify his plumbing credentials. Upon excavation, it quickly became apparent that the problem was different from what was originally explained, the pipe was not separated, Drain King Plumbers miss diagnosed what was causing the blockage, and this likely could have been resolved with a less invasive approach. Nevertheless, the technician completed the job as outlined in the work order, and I was quoted over $10,000 to address additional related issues that were not mentioned as a cause of the problem in the initial conversation, as I would have expected to be quoted for the full scope upfront, after all, thats why I paid for the inspection.
After voicing my concerns to Jonathan, he abruptly ended the call stating a manager would follow up with me and to have a great day. However, despite my repeated follow-up calls to discuss a resolution, I have had very little response from them. This lack of communication from Drain King Plumbers appears to be a common experience, as noted by other reviewers. I also noticed this company has registered complaint against them with the (Canadian) BBB.
Ultimately, when a manager finally contacted me after about a month to discuss the matter, it became clear by the end of our conversation.it just came down to the money. Since I only moved forward with the repair because I was told it was a separated pipe, I was left paying for their wrong diagnosis.
Drain King Plumbers website claims: We guarantee that you will be satisfied with our plumbing services. Unfortunately, I am not satisfied and I should have read the negative reviews as they provide valuable insight into what you can expect if something goes wrong.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Drain King Plumbers, and I hope my experience can educate people about this company.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $3,600.00
- Company Response
Hello Andrew, thank you for the opportunity to provide you with service.
We appreciate your feedback however the information you are providing in this review is quite misleading. You had called in for service and indicated to us that this blockage was a re-occurring problem and that you wanted to permanently solve it, and not have to continue renting a snake from home depot. We provided you a quote to fix your pipe by means of excavation, and you happily approved it. The exact cause was unknown until excavation was performed. It turned out that there was some major calcification build up in your pipes causing it to frequently backup that snaking obviously did not solve. We are unsure what your issue is here because the work was done perfectly (as you mentioned) and your problem has been solved. With regards to the additional repair recommendations, once we cleared the main issue we returned for a follow up camera inspection and were now able to inspect the rest of the pipe to the city main. This follow up inspection revealed additional issues (unrelated to the current backup) that we recommended to repair. If we had been able to see the issues further down the line prior to the initial excavation rest-assured you would have been notified. We hope you understand that we always have your best interest in mind, and that we did indeed performed this job with honesty, heart, and pride.